Families and the Birthplace of Golf

The Open Championship (or the “British Open” as we bloody Yanks like to call it) is golf’s oldest of its four major championships and always a special event. 

But when the 150th rendition of the Open Championship is contested at the game’s birthplace, the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, it becomes historically special. 

Jack Nicklaus won two Open Championships at St. Andrews, in 1970 and 1978. He held the feat in such esteem that he said, “If you’re going to be a player people will remember, you have to win the Open at St. Andrews.” 

Photo Credit from UK Golf Guy

Tiger Woods captured his first claret jug, along with his own “Tiger Slam,” at St. Andrews in 2000 and he won there again five years later. Tiger went a step further than Nicklaus by saying, “I am inclined to believe that winning the Open at the ‘home of golf’ is the ultimate achievement in the sport.”

“The 150th Open at St. Andrews is going to be a momentous occasion for golf, and this is clearly reflected in the extraordinary demand among fans to be part of this historic playing of the championship,” said Martin Slumbers, chief executive at the R&A, who predicted the 2022 event will set a new attendance record that far exceed the previous best — 239,000 — set in 2000.

During “Family Golf Month,” guests at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort on Hilton Head Island can enjoy the experience of playing the Old Course at St. Andrews without having to book a long flight overseas. The Toptracer Range at Palmetto Dunes offers The Old Course, along with numerous others of the world’s most famous virtual layouts for golfers to experience. 

Palmetto Dunes became the first resort in the entire southeast to open a Toptracer Range. At the resort’s Robert Trent Jones practice range and learning center, the high-tech driving range allows guests to compete against friends and receive instant shot feedback, or simply warm up for their rounds at one of Palmetto Dunes’ trio of award-winning golf courses.

Toptracer Range uses the same technology that tracks and displays ball flight in real-time during the television broadcasts of tournaments on the PGA and LPGA Tours, the most advanced in golf. At Palmetto Dunes, golfers can pleasantly hit shots from underneath a sun- and rain-blocking awning. The configuration includes 14 hitting bays, plus a VIP area.

Making the Toptracer Range even more fun for the entire family during Family Golf Month, Palmetto Dunes offers a range menu featuring handheld options including nachos, chips & guac with a side of salsa, chicken strips with fries, wings, pizzas, pretzels bites with cheese sauce and hummus served with carrot, cucumber and naan bread. Soft drinks, beer, wine and mixed drinks are also available on the range.

The Toptracer Range is one of countless fun, family amenities to enjoy at Palmetto Dunes. There are 2,000-acres of activities along three miles of Atlantic Ocean beach on one side and an Intracoastal Waterway marina on the other. At the resort’s iconic General Store, parents can purchase gift cards for their children to use during their stay at Palmetto Dunes. 

Pickleball is one of the world’s fastest growing sports for all ages and Palmetto Dunes boasts one of the best tennis and pickleball complexes in the United States, including 24 lighted pickleball courts. The Palmetto Dunes Tennis & Pickleball Center recently received the “Pickleball Resort of the Year” designation from Racquet Sports Industry Magazine.

Regularly named to the top 25 “World’s Best Family Getaways” by Travel + Leisure — along with the “Best Resort in the South” by Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers' Choice Awards — Palmetto Dunes features an 11-mile inland salt-water lagoon system for kayaking, fishing and much more. Hilton Head Outfitters boasts the island’s largest fleet of bike rentals. The network of bike trails at Palmetto Dunes conveniently connects with nearly 50 miles of paved public pathways and nature trails blazed by the Town of Hilton Head Island.

And, of course, neighboring Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina is a Mediterranean-style marina featuring shopping and dining, and also home to a wide variety of charters including nature cruises, dolphin tours, sport crabbing and fishing. During the season, Palmetto Dunes offers a free on-call Dunes Buggy shuttle to transport guests back and forth. Harbourfest is a legendary festival held at Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina select Tuesdays from June into August (visit ShelterCoveHarbourFest.com for the full schedule), and consisting of live entertainment by Shannon Tanner, kids’ activities with Cappy the Clown, vendors, and fireworks that are especially impressive over the water.

During Family Golf Month and beyond, what more could you want than a round at the birthplace of golf, followed by more family activities than you could possibly imagine? Pack up the family, come to Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort and experience it all for yourself.